Apparatus for separating kernels from hulls of seeds.



PATBNTED JULY 7, 1903.

I P. B. POPE. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING KERNBLS FROM HULLS 0F SEEDS.

AYPLIOATIOH TILED APR. 18, 1901.

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APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING KBRNBLS PROM HULLS or swarms.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 18, 1901. NO MODEL. 2 SHEBTS-SHBET 2.

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Patented July 7, 1903.

OFFICE.

FREDERICK B. POPE, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

APPARATUS FOR vSEPARATING KERNELS FROM HULLS OF SEEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,779, dated July '7,1903.

Application filed April 18,1961; Scria1No-56,435. on model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK B. POPE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Au gusta, in the county ofRichmond and, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Sepa-.

rating Kernels from Hulls of Seeds, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates tofapparatusfor separating the kernels from thehulls of cotton and other seeds; and it consists of a sifter and ascreener andcertain conductors andin the construction of parts wherebythe kernels may be separated from the hulls and each conducted to agrinding or comminuting apparatus of any suitable character, as fullyset forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is an elevation of sufficient of an apparatus toillustrate my invention, details of no importance being omitted; Fig. 2,an enlarged section of the screener; Fig. 3, an enlarged section of thesifter.

The huller j is of any suitable character to break up the seed andloosen the kernel from the hull portion, and the loosened particles passfrom this huller onto a sifter m. As is well known, the hulls ofcotton-seed are much tougher than the kernels, and while the lat-- termay be easily broken into small fragments the hulls may not be so easilybroken into small fragments, and even if so broken the fiber tends tohold the fragments together.

Nevertheless there will be a small percentage of the hull in the form ofsmall fragments practically free from fiber which will pass through thesifters with the kernel fragments. This small percentage of hull willnot, however, be detrimental to the kernelmeal. This sifter may bedifferently constructed, but preferably is of such construction as toseparate the material into difierent grades and also to violentlyagitate it, with a view of causing the major portion of the hulls toseparate themselves from the kernels and small fragments of hull, and istherefore preferably constructed as a frame 40, having bearings forscreens 41 42, the coarser screen 42, which at once carries off all the.coarser particles above the finer screen 41, and below the finer screen41 is a hopper 43, from which screen 46, are conducted by a chute 47also to the crushing-rolls, while the hulls and fibers from the sifter pare discharged into a hopper 48 of the rotating screener q, and a spout49 discharges into the same hopper the material that cannot pass throughthe coarser screen 42 of the sifter m. Any other suitable system ofsifters may be used.

The screener q, as shown, consists of a stationary cylindrical casing50, preferably inclined, with a central shaft 51, supporting a series ofarms 52, and on the shaft 51 1'0 tates a sleeve 58, carrying aperforated cylinder 53, having screen-openings of different sizes, Achute 55 passes from the bottom of the casing 50 to the chute 4'4, and achute 57 extends from the lower head of the cylinder 53, so that thematerial which cannot pass through the cylinder 53' will pass from theend of the same to a chute 59, while the part too coarse to pass throughthe finer meshes, but capable of passing through the coarser meshesofthe' cylinder 53, will find its way by the chute 57 to the bottom ofan elevator s. The elevator lifts and discharges the material into thesifter m, where it is again agitated and then discharged into the sifterp and again agitatedand again brought back to the screener g, by whichrepeated operations the more finely divided and heavier particles ofkernal are disassociated from the hulls and fiber and conducted to therollers a, while the hulls and fibers are discharged to the chute 59 andwill pass to apparatus.

for reducing the same.

In the operation of the apparatus the'liulls and fibers and adheringkernels passingto' the central rotating screen are violently agitated.by the blades of the beater therein, so that the kernels are brokenupand separated from the larger pieces of hull and fiber which I pass tothe chute 59 and to thehull-comminuting apparatus, as a mill 6.

As shown, there are pulleys on the shafts connected to the heaters andthe rotary cylinder, so that they can be rotated rapidly, preferably indifierent directions.

In ordinary apparatus intended for sifting materials of this characterthe screens are nailed within the frames of the sitter, so that anychange in the screens is attended with considerable inconvenience,delaying operations within the mill during the time that such change ismade. To avoid this, I provide the frame of the sifter with bearings fordetachable screen-frames 61, which are placed upon said bearings andthen secured in place by merely turning any suitable securing devices 63to position to hold them in place.

Any suitable means may be employed for agitating the sitters. As shown,a vibrating arm 68 is provided with a roller 65, which is drawn by aspring 66 against a rotating cam 67, having an abrupt shoulder, so thatwhen the said shoulder passes the roller the arm 68 will movebacksuddenly, and said arm is connected by rods 69 70 to the frames ofthe sitters. It will be evident, however, that any other suitableagitating devices may be employed.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim as my invention 1. In an apparatus for separatingkernels from hulls of cotton-seeds, the combination with means forcracking the seed, of a sitter on having coarse and fine mesh screens42, 41, a screener 19 arranged to receive the tailings from thefine-mesh screen, a receiver for the kernels from the sitter m andscreenerp, a screener q having screens of difierent sizes arranged toreceive the tailings from the screener p and coarse screen 42, and anelevator for carrying the tailings from the screener q to the sitter m,substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for separating the kernels from the hulls ofcotton-seed, the conibination with means for cracking the seed, of acoarse-mesh screen 42 onto which the cracked seed is delivered, afiner-mesh screen 41 below the screen 42, a receiver for the kernelwhich passes through the screen 41, a finemesh screen 46 onto which thetailings from the screen 41 are delivered, a receiver for the kernelpassing through the screen 46, a screener having screen-openings ofdifferent size, into which the tailings from the screen 46 and thescreen 42 are delivered, a receiver for the kernel which passes throughthe finer meshes of the said screener, and an elevator for returning thematerial passing through the coarse meshes of the screener to the screen42, substantially as set fort-h.

3. In an apparatus for separating the kernels from the hulls ofcotton-seed, the combination with means for cracking the seed, of acoarse-mesh screen 42 onto which the cracked seed is delivered, afiner-mesh screen 41 below the screen 42, a receiver for the kernelwhich passes through the screen 41, a fine-mesh screen 46 onto which thetailings from the screen 41 are delivered, a receiver for the kernelpassing through the screen 41, a screener having screen-openings ofdifferent size, into which the tailings from the screen 46 and thescreen 42 are delivered, a receiver for the kernel which passes throughthe finer meshes of the said screener, and an elevator for returning thematerial passing through the coarse meshes of the screener to the screen42, and crushing-rolls for the kernel to which the respective receiverslead, substantially as set forth,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. I

FREDERICK I3. POPE.

Witnesses:

H. M. GILLMAN, Jr., J. J. MOGARTHY.

